With less than a month to go before Avengers: Endgame finally hits theaters around the world. The leaks and spoilers are really starting to heat up. We’ve seen a steady increase in the volume of Avengers 4 leaks, though much of the info out there cannot yet be confirmed. For example, a recent leak may have spoiled the entire movie by describing all of the important events that take place in each of Avengers: Endgame’s three acts. On top of that, not one or two but three different Avengers: Endgame credits scenes might’ve been spoiled already. It would be nice to have some surprises left by the time the movie finally premieres on April 26th — though we really hope that last leak is legitimate because the third credits scene it describes would be completely mind-blowing.
Though many of the leaks and spoilers we’ve seen are indeed unconfirmed, there are some spoilers that come directly from Marvel or its partners. In those cases, there isn’t really any disputing the fact that they’re the genuine article. Recent examples include a Lego toy set that shows us the tool the Avengers will use to battle Thanos, and then someone who working on Avengers: Endgame accidentally confirmed that a main character is going to die in the movie. In the same vein as those spoilers, the latest leak comes straight from the horse’s mouth and confirms earlier rumors about a major battle that will go down in Avengers 4.
When Marvel promotes its upcoming superhero movies in marketing, fans immediately begin to dissect every last detail in an effort to find spoilers. For that reason, Marvel often alters images and even video footage in an effort to misdirect fans or keep certain things a secret. Here’s a great example:
Hulk was nowhere to be found when the Avengers faced off against Thanos and his army in Wakanda during Avengers: Infinity War. The green giant developed a serious case of performance anxiety after he was pummeled in a fight with Thanos, and Banner couldn’t find a way to bring him back for the rest of the movie. That’s why he was in the Hulkbuster suit during the big Wakanda battle, and yet there Hulk is in the marketing image above, fighting alongside his comrades.
Fast-forward to Endgame, for which the second full length trailer was recently released. After it came out, we published a shot by shot analysis and found tons of interesting tidbits. Could some of the things we saw be misdirection? Sure, but it turns out there’s something we didn’t see in the trailer that’s even more telling.
Eagle-eyed Marvel fans on Reddit have proven conclusively that an integral clip in the second Avengers: Endgame trailer has been altered to hide a big spoiler. How do they know for sure? Because there’s another version of the trailer that Marvel Studios posted online, and it accidentally used the unaltered scene. Oops!
Embedded above is a special 3D version of Marvel’s second Avengers 4 trailer. Click the settings icon in the bottom-right corner to disable the 3D effect, and then watch it all the way through. Did you notice anything different compared to the original trailer? Neither did we, but thankfully Reddit user Zion-plex did, and he posted about it in a thread this week.
Toward the end of the trailer, there’s a quick clip that shows Hawkeye running through a corridor with a fiery explosion at his back. Below you’ll find a still image of that scene from the original version of the second Avengers: Endgame trailer, followed by the same frame from the 3D version.
Notice any differences? Let’s try another frame from the same scene — once again, the original trailer is on top and the 3D version is on the bottom.
By now you definitely caught it — there are people (or aliens, as it were) flopping around in the explosion. So why did Marvel edit them out of the original version of the trailer? Because they’re from Thanos’s army of Outriders, and this scene confirms two things. First, we now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Marvel doctored some of the footage in its trailers to avoid spoilers. Second, and far more importantly, we know that the Avengers will once again do battle with Thanos and his minions, and we might also know the circumstances surrounding that battle. Here’s a quote from an earlier unconfirmed leak that originated on 4chan and included major potential spoilers:
At one point, Captain America and Thor fight Thanos. Timeline alterations have restored Mjolnir, and Cap wields it against Thanos to allow the others to escape, and is killed holding Thanos off.
At one point, Hawkeye must protect the unfinished Stark Gauntlet from Thanos’ minions. He plays an “instrumental” role in Thanos’ defeat.
That Lego leak from last week confirms that the Avengers got their hands on an Infinity Gauntlet, and we know they’re going to work on it in a lab. Well, it sure looks like Hawkeye is running through the halls of a facility that could very well be home to that lab… and he’s being chased by Outriders! Is he protecting the “unfinished Stark Gauntlet” in the lab, just like the leak above said? It certainly seems like that might be the case.
